I'm a fairly competent East coast fisherman who was given the task of taking a friend on a trip out West. He has a little experience and will need a lot of assistance. I don't want to go to a "school" and want a little more of a back country experience. I guess I'm looking for a decent lodge type outfitter with guides that can do some one-on-one with my friend while I more or less struggle on my own! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. And I did use the search first. Thanks, Kevin

Could you narrow down your area a bit, saying, out west covers a lot of territory.
Without knowing where you want to visit, I would suggest fishing the Yellowstone area, it offers some excellent fishing. It has numerous streams and lakes and lots of places for back country hiking to get away from the crowds. One idea would be to hook up with one of the local guides for a day or so and then once you have an idea of the hatches in the area strike out on your own. There is a thread on Yellowstone planning that has some excellent advice on very good fly shops, just do a forum search and it should give you some ideas on fly shops to contact.
Another option would be the San Juan River in NM, its a tailwater so the fishing is technical, but again I would suggest going with a guide for a day and then striking out on your own. It has lots of wadeable water. I use Duranglers Fly Shop out of Durango, CO.
Another option would be the Green River below Flaming Gorge, UT. Again it is a tailwater, but the scenary is fantastic. The water is a very clear green so sight fishing is availbable. Again it is a tailwater, but there is a foot trail from the dam all the way to Little Hole (7 river miles) so there is lots of room to spread out. I'd still recommend getting a guide for a day and then doing your own thing. Here is a link to fishing the Green: Green River Fly fishing Flaming Gorge, Utah, Utah flyfishing Guides, Utah Fly fishing Guides, Trout Creek Flies - Your Complete Green River Guide Service - Rocky Mountain Fly Fishing, Emmett Heath, Fishing

Welcome to the board. Glad you found us. It sounds like you're planning a great trip. Larry gave you great advice. There are a ton of options. You could mix it up little by doing a float trip for a day as well as wade most of the other time, or even a multiday float on the Snake in Idaho, or horseback in to the Bob Marshall (Idaho) or Yellowstone backcountry with an outfitter if you really wanted to get away from it all.

Just to whet your appetite, check out some of the guide trips Craig Mathews offers in Yellowstone (including that horse trip in to the Lamar River Valley in YNP backcountry, something I've always wanted to do)